Customer Reviews

The Egypt Game

5 star:		(91)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

I wouldn't be surprised if readers finish this book and don't turn back to the TV, but instead put together make-believe worlds of their own--not necessarily Egyptian ones.

This book may not have transported me back to the real Ancient Egypt, but it did take me into the kind of world only a child's imagination can create. It contains makeshift altars and special names, made-up rituals and homemade costumes, "modified" hieroglyphics and even a new way to walk. Anyone who has ever invented his or her own special world, out of fascination or out of boredom, will understand the appeal of "The Egypt Game".

While reading, I often thought that Zilpha Keatley Snyder had more fun writing about the made-up rituals than the characters had performing them. Not only are they fun, they are more or less well-researched, which is only right, as two of her characters are enthusiastic readers who pay attention to details. Throughout the story, Snyder's sense of humor shines through, whether she is making one character sprinkle ashes into his hair or making two other characters refrain from doing so, "because to a girl even the death of a pharaoh isn't worth a dirty head."

Except for April Hall and Melanie Ross--and the Professor, of course--the characters are not very complex. They become part of Egypt not because they have something vital to add to the plot, but because they make the game more fun. Only a few of them go through a change that is apparent at the end of the story. However, their personalities are varied enough to contribute to the small conflicts in each chapter (this is a semi-episodic novel), and to let readers have different favorite characters.

The book has its darker parts, however. Part of the story involves the murder of some small children, and the murderer remains at large for most of the novel. (Even I found this extreme. The story could have been just as fun and mysterious without it.) Also, the idol worship and divination aspects of some of the games may be disturbing because they are very realistic and taken very seriously by the children. As for the Professor, his role in the story is so ambiguous at the beginning that only experienced readers will be able to tell, by the third chapter, whether the Professor is spooky or friendly, a bad guy or one of the good guys.

In spite of the drawbacks, I found "The Egypt Game" truly enjoyable and fun to read. I only wish that children had more books that stress the wonder of discovery, imagination, and good, old-fashioned play.

This book reminds us that back in 1967, children played games that expanded their imaginations and sent them voluntarily to the library to seek information. Computers and the internet now make the information search so much easier, but sadly, many children don't take their eyes away from the television screen, X-Box game or Game Boy long enough to realize what they are missing.

This story tells of a group of six children from different cultures and backgrounds who are drawn together by a common interest in Egyptian mythology. They stumble upon an unused lot of land adjoining the local antique dealer/junk shop where they create their own replica of ancient Egypt, complete with statuary and hieroglyphics and perform the most necessary rites and rituals with due pomp and ceremony.

To make things even more interesting, there are elements of danger and mystery, and the author even manages to include different types of family situations and how the children react to their various circumstances.

A simple book that introduces children to the vast and often untapped worlds of their imagination.


Amanda Richards, February 19, 2006

I read this book when I was in the fourth grade. (My best friend and I were reading through the shelf of award winners.) She read it next. As soon as she finished the book, we set up our own game, a cross between the Egypt Game and what we'd understood from her older sister's class production of Macbeth. We had hours of fun playing that way, and I loved having a book that showed characters who played imaginatively. (And there aren't that many role models who don't spend all their time on their computers or on the organized sports field these days. See the preceding review from the person who said that she didn't like the way the characters used too much "ammagination." <sigh> I ordered this book recently to read aloud to my third graders, and they loved it! Now there are several Games going on in our neighborhood. The book was as good as I remembered it.

They call themselves the Egypt gang. They have their own meeting place. They worship gods. They have their own hierolyphics, etc. Marshall, Toby, Ken, Melanie, Elizabeth, and April are all part of it. They have so much fun until something happens. Read and find out. Good for people who like ancient history. Great book for everyone!

We, the 7th graders at Saluda School, have just finished reading this exciting, blood-pumping novel. This book was so exiting, we could hardly put it down. In fact, we didn't even want to go to our next class. Please take our word for it, and read this book. You won't regret it.

April and Melanie became fast friends the first time they met--they both had irrepressible imaginations and the desire to put those imaginations to use. Quite by accident, they found a way into an overgrown, fenced in storage yard behind it that obviously wasn't being used by it's owner, the local curio shop. April and Melanie knew instantly that it would be the perfect place to play pretend and set about making it inhabitable. Doing so, they discover a somewhat beat-up, but still beautiful, bust of Nefertiti. Add that to their imagination and the Egypt Game was born.

With Melanie's baby brother as the Boy Pharaoh and themselves as priestess to both Isis and Set (they took turns being the bad priestess), they created elaborate ceremonies and scenarios. Much reading was done at the local library and as their Egyptian knowledge grew, their interest in the game stayed fast. Eventually there are six in the Egypt Game, using their imaginations and their research skills.

Things take an odd turn as the "unexplained" makes an appearance. The six "Egyptians" start to wonder if the game has gone too far, crossed a line that they didn't know could be crossed. I won't spoil it be explaining, but will say that all turns out as it should.

I found this a good book for children on several levels. One was the relationship of April to her mother and to her grandmother. April idolized her mom, who was trying to make it big in Hollywood. April was sent to her grandmother's to stay for a while, just until her mom sorted things out in Hollywood. Seeing April mature and soften under the love of her steadfast grandmother is a good image for anyone.

The other thing I particularly liked about the Egypt Game was the obvious--the encouragement of both imagination and research. So many kids today don't play pretend. There are too many other distractions with TV, Internet and game systems. This book showed the magic of using the imagination, and the importance of doing a bit of research to know the subject. I liked that aspect immensely.

This book was absolutely fabulous. It talks about a young girl named April who comes to live in a town in CA while her mom is touring around the country. She meets a girl name Melanie and her younger brother named Marshall. Melanie and April are fascinated with Egyptian history and love everything to do with Egypt. Soon they find an old storage yard behind an old antique shop. This is now called Egypt. This is where the Egypt Game takes place. Soon there comes three more kids who come to join the Egypt Game. The Egyptians do many ceremonies to the gods,( including a ceremony for the dead which is basically a funeral for one of the girl's dead parakeet). Soon there is a homicide and everyone is forced to stay indoors, but a few weeks later the kids are allowed to play outside again. ...

This book combines a great story of suspense, some of the Egyptian rituals, and so on. The author really lets you get to know the characters of this book. I highly recommend this book!!!

I think this was a great book! I'm 13 years old and I just finished reading this book on January 3, 2001. I thouroughly enjoyed this story. The author is truly gifted, and the way she words everything just makes the story come alive. I especially liked the way Zilpha Keatley Snyder described the characters and their personalities. It made me feel that I was right there, in that shed, watching the kids play the Egypt Game. The story couldn't be more realistic if I were in it. Her details are amazing, and I must say, this is now my favorite book. I hope to read more of Ms. Snyder's work in the future, starting with The Gypsy Game.

A recent thread on rec.arts.books covered people's favorite children's books. I hadn't heard of this one, and the title intrigued me (I'm a sucker for games), so I went out hunting. April Dawn (not her real name) is the daughter of a Hollywood wannabe who comes to the small town of the story to live with her grandmother. She makes friends with the girl down the hall. Sound a little boring? Well, it's not, because Snyder has a touch of authenticity rare in children's books. Most of the ones that I like tend to exaggerate the adults or the children's experiences, such as the recently read James and the Giant Peach or classics like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Snyder's world is wonderfully real and alive. The children are sweet and cruel to each other and adults; the adults are understanding and sick. Why, there's even a "serial" killer in this book. Frightening? Yes, but because we see this through the eyes of children, the scary aspect quickly changes to the drudgery of not being allowed as free a rein to play.

And play is what the Egypt Game is about. April and her friend Melanie are imagineers of the first stripe. Their game is drawn from their mutual fascination for things Egyptian and the convenient vacant junk lot behind the A-Z store. The game is perfectly portrayed--how children can make and follow their rules, but also how they stop in the midst of the game to redefine or add new rules as well.

I prefer children's books with a little magic in them (or, in the case of Narnia, a lot of magic), so I was delighted to read one in which the magic was of the commonplace sort rather than otherworldly.

This book was really good!The characters were sooo life like. April is sent to live with her grandmother while her famous mother tours the world.Her and Melanie discover a "new world" behind the creepy professers old antique store.They summon the powers of the ancient egyptians then weird things start to happen.I highly recommend this book.